


Time Will Tell

by Griddlebone



Category: Power Rangers Jungle Fury
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Female Character, Enemies to Friends, F/F, Feelings, Possibly Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 07:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12228054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Griddlebone/pseuds/Griddlebone
Summary: After the final battle, Camille has a lot of things to figure out. Feelings, for one.





	Time Will Tell

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gingayellow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingayellow/gifts).



Camille was terrified. She was pretty new to the whole "feelings" thing, but she already knew she didn't like this one.

For ten thousand years and more, she had believed in Dai Shi's vision of a future without humans, where natural forces would reign supreme. She had fought for that vision. She had loved Dai Shi. This was all she had ever known and all she had ever wanted.

Now, it was all gone. And she had helped make it happen.

It was only now beginning to truly sink in: in the heat of the moment, in the desperation of that last battle, she had not just thrown it all away. She had made sure the future she had fought so hard for would never happen. She had switched sides, hoping to shift from villain to hero, and now she had no choice but to live with her decision.

Thus the sense of terror: What in the world am I going to do now?

Everyone had spent the last few days celebrating the big win… and coming to terms with what that meant. Jarrod, in particular, had a lot to reckon with, and that reckoning was clearly taking a toll on him. Jarrod, who she'd been counting on to help her figure all this out, was obviously in need of help, himself. And the Rangers were there to give it to him.

Camille wanted to help him, too, the way he'd helped her. Altruism – another new and uncomfortable feeling.

So while the victorious Rangers and their friends celebrated victory, or contemplated redemption, Camille sat alone at a table in a dark corner of the pizza restaurant and glowered at the world. The glower deepened into a scowl as she watched the Yellow Ranger spot her and hurry over.

Uninvited, Lily slid into a chair at Camille's table and flashed that brilliant smile of hers. It was a smile that made Camille feel prickly inside. No one could really be that kind and understanding, could they?

And that was the core of it: underneath all the smiles and words of welcome, Camille knew they couldn't possibly trust her. The fear wasn't just because she'd cast aside her life's work and purpose, it was because she might have done it for nothing. Or worse than nothing. When they tired of her, when they inevitably turned on her, the way all of Dai Shi's other servants always had…

Lily's smile faded. Her expression grew grim. "Camille? Are you okay?"

Camille felt paralyzed. She had no idea what to say, only knew that she was afraid to admit the truth. She didn't want to give anyone else any ideas, even if she had none herself.

Lily expertly slid her chair around the corner of the table, without so much as a sound, so she could sit beside Camille. The ease with which Lily navigated human life was impressive. It all seemed so noisy and awkward to Camille, but Lily made it seem almost natural.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not with you," Camille snapped, much more harshly than she had intended. Unable to take back words or tone, she braced for the inevitable.

Instead of snapping back or storming away, Lily simply said, "Okay." Then: "Do you want to be alone, or is it okay if I stay?"

"Shouldn't you be partying with your friends?" she asked, when she had meant to say _I don't know what I want._

Lily looked over to where RJ, Casey, and Theo were demonstrating the fine art of pizza-making to an uncomfortable-looking Jarrod while Fran and Dominic looked on, and grimaced slightly. "I think they'll be just fine without me for right now." She was silent a moment, but wouldn't let it go. "But you… you always stick to yourself. And I know this is a really big change for you."

Camille refused to look at her, at her vibrant smile or lovely eyes, because that would only lead to trouble.

"I wanted to make sure you're okay," Lily went on.

"I'm fine. I just need to figure out how to act like a human."

"Camille… we like you the way you are. You don't need to pretend to be something you're not."

She laughed bitterly. "And where does a person like me fit into the human world? Just a few days ago I wanted to see this world destroyed."

"And now?" Lily prodded.

Camille made the mistake of looking at her and felt everything go topsy-turvy inside. "I don't know what I want." Frustrated, she tore her gaze away from Lily's concerned face. "I mean, I know what I want. I don't know how to make it happen. This is… a lot."

Lily nodded. "You're right. But you're doing very well so far!"

It didn't feel like it. "Does 'doing well' always feel so… scary?"

"Sometimes, yes," Lily admitted.

This was not at all the answer she had expected, and she stammered out words admitting this before she realized what was happening. Ever since they had stopped being sworn enemies, being near Lily had always given her this uncomfortable sensation, as if butterflies – or Flit – were dancing in her belly.

No, she realized. It had started long ago. It had just been easier to dismiss when they were enemies – and when Flit really had been fluttering about in her belly. Now that they were… _friends_ , if Lily's proclamations could be believed, Camille would have to figure out what these feelings meant. Along with all of the _other_ feelings she needed to sort out and cope with.

It was a disaster waiting to happen.

"Sometimes, even if we're doing well, fear of failure can sneak up on us," Lily went on. If she noticed just how flustered Camille was becoming, she didn't let it show. "But we can't let fear stop us. We have to do the best we can and hope it's enough."

"It was easier when I had an enemy to fight," Camille muttered. Remembering just who she was talking to, she flushed. "I'm sorry," she said, speaking words Jarrod had taught her. "I shouldn't have said that."

Lily shrugged. "It is sometimes easier when there's someone, or something, opposing you. It makes it easier to chart a course, anyway." She chuckled quietly, sending unexpected shivers down Camille's spine. "Can I tell you something?" Without waiting for permission, she went ahead. "I'm not sure what any of us are going to do next.

"Casey keeps talking about going back to the Pai Zhuq Academy and becoming teachers, since we're Masters now, and Dominic and Fran are talking about traveling for a while… and Theo and I. Well." She was blushing now, herself. It looked good on her. But Camille suspected that everything looked good on Lily. "That's almost the scarier part. We've been best friends since we were kids, and now we're going to try being something different. And that's scary! What if it ruins our friendship? What if we end up wanting nothing to do with each other ever again?"

"I don't have answers for any of those questions," Camille managed awkwardly. The last thing she'd expected today was to have a chat with Lily about her new lover. Or maybe the last thing she'd expected was how very nearly jealous that discussion would make her feel. Was she bothered by Lily's easy relationship with Theo, or by the fact that Lily was in a relationship and therefore off limits?

The implications were horrifying until she forcefully reminded herself that Lily was no longer the enemy.

"I know that," Lily told her, leaning to the side so her arm bumped against Camille's. Camille startled, then realized that Lily was responding to what she'd said, not reading her mind. "I was trying to explain that Theo and I, we're scared even though things are going really well right now, but we think the reward is worth the risk." She was smiling again. "If we can do it, I know you can."

"I don't have the slightest idea how to help Jarrod."

"Right now I think he just needs someone to listen," Lily suggested. "And I can vouch for the fact that you're really good at that."

"I'm not good at any human things," Camille protested.

"You just sat here and listened to me ramble about Theo!" She couldn't deny it, so Lily just kept going. "You care about Jarrod, don't you?"

"Yes," Camille said. It was a silly question. He'd stood up for her and protected her when she needed it most. She'd betrayed her life's work for him. Of course she cared about him. But after watching him with Casey for the last several days, she wasn't entirely sure that he returned her affections with quite the same intensity. In some ways, this was more profoundly upsetting than her growing attraction to the woman who had been one of her greatest enemies only a few days ago.

"Camille, you know you don't have to just listen," Lily said, leaning into her, a warm and solid weight at her side. "You can talk to me, too."

"What if he doesn't feel for me… the way you and Theo feel for each other?" She hated herself for asking, for allowing herself to be that vulnerable. But she needed to know if she could trust Lily not to hurt her.

And Lily did not disappoint.  Her arm slipped around Camille's shoulders, pulling her into a sideways hug, which brought an unpleasant and entirely unexpected hot-and-prickling sensation to her eyes. Was this what it felt like to want to _cry_? Camille felt abruptly panicked and furious, but Lily didn't release her grip and after a few moments, a sense of peace seemed almost to flow into her from Lily. She sagged into the embrace a little bit, letting Lily support her, trusting Lily not to let her fall.

"Oh, Camille," Lily murmured. She turned her head and pressed her lips, for just an instant, against Camille's cheek. "If that happens, I'll give you a shoulder to cry on, and we'll eat ice cream together until you feel okay again." She rested her head against Camille's. "And you'll do the same for me if things don't work out with Theo, right?"

"I'll try," Camille promised, taking great care with the words so that she would not promise too much. As soon as she spoke them aloud, a great weight seemed to lift from her shoulders. She wasn't entirely sure what this human ritual would involve, but it pleased her that Lily was willing to share it with her. Maybe Lily was right. Maybe they really could be friends, after everything. Maybe, one day, more than that.

Only time would tell, but for now, Camille was happy just to lean into Lily's embrace and let hope and love and calm enfold her… and watch the chaos unfold as a food fight erupted across the restaurant. She felt, more than heard, Lily giggle at the antics and breathed a sigh of relief.

Her fears had faded, sharp terror and taut anxiety soothed away by Lily's words and presence. She could almost feel as if she belonged in this place, with these people… beside this woman. And for now, that was enough.


End file.
